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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

trigger.

A finger-operated lever used to fire a gun.

7 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈtɹɪɡə/Received-Pronunciation[ˈtɹ̝̊ʷɪɡə]Received-Pronunciation[ˈt̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷɪɡə]Received-Pronunciation/ˈtɹɪɡɚ/General-American
  1. A finger-operated lever used to fire a gun.

    Just pull the trigger.
  2. A similar device used to activate any mechanism.

  3. An event that initiates others, or incites a response.

    Sleeping in an unfamiliar room can be a trigger for sleepwalking.
  4. An event that initiates others, or incites a response. Something that triggers an ASMR response.

  5. A concept or image that upsets somebody by sparking a negative emotional response.

    emotional trigger
    I can't watch that violent film. Blood is one of my triggers.
  6. An event, experience or other stimulus that initiates a traumatic memory or a strong reaction in a person.

  7. An electronic transducer allowing a drum, cymbal, etc. to control an electronic drum unit or similar device.

  8. A device that manually lengthens (or sometimes shortens) the slide or tubing of a brass instrument, allowing the pitch range to be altered while playing.

  9. A pulse in an electronic circuit that initiates some component.

  10. An SQL procedure that may be initiated when a record is inserted, updated or deleted; typically used to maintain referential integrity.

  11. A catch to hold the wheel of a carriage on a declivity.

    archaic
  12. An argument whose semantic role determines the choice of a verbal affix, in certain Austronesian languages.

Where this word comes from

Originally tricker, from Dutch trekker (“pull”, noun, as in drawer-pull, bell-pull), from Dutch trekken (“to drag, draw, pull”).

verb/ˈtɹɪɡə/Received-Pronunciation[ˈtɹ̝̊ʷɪɡə]Received-Pronunciation[ˈt̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷɪɡə]Received-Pronunciation/ˈtɹɪɡɚ/General-American
  1. To fire (a weapon); to set off or trip (a mechanism or function of a device).

    transitive
  2. To cause, to precipitate, to bring (something) about in response or as a result.

    transitive
    The controversial article triggered a deluge of angry letters from readers.
  3. To spark a response, especially a negative emotional response, in (a person).

    figuratively · transitive
    This story contains a rape scene and may be triggering for rape victims.
  4. To activate; to become active.

    especially · intransitive
Where this word comes from

Originally tricker, from Dutch trekker (“pull”, noun, as in drawer-pull, bell-pull), from Dutch trekken (“to drag, draw, pull”).

adj/ˈtɹɪɡə/Received-Pronunciation[ˈtɹ̝̊ʷɪɡə]Received-Pronunciation[ˈt̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷɪɡə]Received-Pronunciation/ˈtɹɪɡɚ/General-American
  1. comparative form of trig: more trig

    comparative · form-of
Where this word comes from

Originally tricker, from Dutch trekker (“pull”, noun, as in drawer-pull, bell-pull), from Dutch trekken (“to drag, draw, pull”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.